In search of Greenwich’s best… Chips

National Chip Week: clearly one of the very best PR stunts there has ever been. An excuse to eat chips all week is not to be sniffed at. And it’s Friday too, which has always been the best day for a chippy tea. Out of the paper, the smell of salt and vinegar making passers by jealous. Even if you’re not hungry, you can always steal a chip from someone (don’t do it to strangers, it’s frowned upon). But just one question, where in Greenwich are you going to get them? Here’s Greenwich.co.uk’s guide to the best of the local chip shop chips.

The Pier, Greenwich Church Street

Excellent. They’re very excellent at batter, you see. And sometimes pieces of batter fall into the portions of chips and it’s the chip shop version of getting a toy in your cereal. They’re good at crispy bits, they’re good at other things and they crack a smile and have a bit of a chat with you. Cheap as chips too (sorry). The only downside? Terrible, terrible curry sauce.

The Golden Chippy, Greenwich High Road

Regarded as some as the best chippy in Greenwich. I’d be inclined to agree if I didn’t live way on the other side. Good chips, good crispy bits and good prices. I can’t argue with popular opinion, these guys are excellent. If only they were closer to the town centre. Still, I can always walk there and back and burn off all of those chip-shaped calories.

Peter’s Fish Bar, Woolwich Road

OK, so they’re not strictly in Greenwich. But here’s the clincher: they deliver and that’s very unusual for a chippy. Sadly, that’s where my love affair with this particular chip shop ends. They’re not terrible, but the chips are never quite as bang on as you’d like them to be. A little dry, a little bland, not a huge amount of crispy bits and only just above average. I really want to love them – they’re the nearest chippy to me and the potential to have fish and chips delivered makes me very happy indeed. But I’m left a bit disappointed by them. Don’t totally write Peter’s off, though. They also own the greasy spoon next door and they knock up the finest bacon and egg sandwich this side of the river.

The Great British Fish & Chip Shop, King William Walk

When this place opened, it looked a little posher than the rest. And on the surface, it was. They’ve got swanky fish options lined up on the menu (look, chips and scallops is posh), there isn’t a single neon star blu-tacked to the walls, and it all felt a little more upmarket. But that lasted about a week. Now it looks tired. The chips were dry and tasteless, even with extra salt and vinegar once I got home. They’re expensive too. My first ever trip to the Great British Fish & Chip Shop will probably be my last. They do, however, sell the popular Goddard’s Pies.

Where else?

Mr. Fast Fry are confusing me – they’ve stopped delivering and they’ve been shut when I’ve gone to check them out. I’m not sure if this is temporary or not but I can’t comment on their chips if they’re never open. If you can cope with the flashing disco lights in London’s danciest kebab house, the Cutty Sark restaurant actually serves up a decent portion of chips. Certainly the best of the many kebab shops and takeaways in the area.

If you’re eating in, the Old Brewery’s chips are well regarded and the the Rivington Bar and Grill do a cracking chip. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and it comes with a really tasty smoked ketchup that I could probably eat with a spoon. Actually, they’d win it for me. They do takeaway chippy lunches too, all wrapped in a nice box.

Where are you getting your chips from this week?

In search of Greenwich’s best… Hot Chocolate

It’s the drink Britain has never really warmed to…hot chocolate. We’ve always been a nation of tea lovers, only lately becoming coffee fanatics thanks to the chains that dot every high street, including Greenwich. But hot chocolate? That’s a bit French, isn’t it?

Yet it is amazing just how many secret hot choc lovers are out there. And even the most macho among us are not afraid to ask for some extra marshallows on top. I went in search of SE10′s champion hot chocolate for Greenwich.co.uk and here’s what I found…

Costa (inside Waterstones), Greenwich Church Street

Situated upstairs at Waterstone’s, Costa takes up a large corner of the first floor, facing Greenwich Church Street. Like any chain, the turnover of staff is rapid, leading to impersonal service. So it proved when I popped in on an arctic-like Thursday morning, craving a relaxing hot choc. Although I was in Greenwich, I could have been at Euston Station, Heathrow or any other cloned Costa outlet.

The relaxing part soon went kaput too when I ordered a small £2.20 hot choc. “Would you like whipped cream with it?” I was asked. “Yes, please.” Within a a few seconds, the drink in a tall glass was placed in front of me at the counter. “That’ll be £2.55,” said the manager. “Shouldn’t it be £2.20?” I questioned, surprised. “You wanted cream and that’s 35p extra!” As he hadn’t mentioned the extra charge when offering it to me – very naughty, I say – I said I didn’t want it, and he took it away and made one without cream. Not a good start. I didn’t like it served in a glass, either. For me, glasses should be used for cold drinks only.

“Where’s your chocolate from?” I then asked. “Head office, they send it to us,” the manager replied. “No, which country?” Blankly, he looked at me before guessing an answer….”I don’t know, Belgium maybe?” The drink just wasn’t worth it either, lacking depth and flavour, the taste forgotten as I walked down the stairs. They also do medium and large sizes -£2.50/£2.70 (memo to Waterstone’s: replace the carpet, guys…it’s badly torn in places and having strips of black tape over parts of it is ugly. What’ll the Queen think if she pops in for the latest Katie Price blockbuster in April?)

Red Door Cafe, Turnpin Lane

Situated in Turnpin Lane, I have to admit I have a soft spot for this quirky little gem. I follow owner Kate Hill-Smith on twitter (@katereddoor) and you can tell from her chatty tweets that it’s a labour of love, posting photos of scrummy cakes, new nic nacs on the glass shelves, and before and after shots of her partner Edward’s haircut.

She says that “people come in for coffee, and a bit of cake and some cheek.” But what about the hot chocolate? It’s wow excellent. It turns out to be Monbana Hot Chocolate from France, highly rated on the internet, with cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast and S America. It’s smooth, and moreish. I sip it slowly, sitting downstairs at the back of the cafe on a two seater sofa among an eclectic mix of furniture: a mahogany plant stand with a skull on top, a row of two old-style cinema seats rescued by Kate’s mum from a Plymouth skip, and a couple of glass tables.

The brick walls are painted red and white. There are red chili lights lit up. To my left, sitting on a wooden bench with a rug on top, is a mysterious young foreign women reading a book by Swedish crime author Hakan Nesser, her feet stretched out on the bottom step. Edward is running the show today, sometimes wearing the bemused look of an English lecturer at a red brick university. I love the place – they’ve also just installed wifi – as there’s something unique about it. It’s even more special as their hot choc rocks. It costs £2, larger cup £2.20.

National Maritime Museum Cafe

Greenwich park looks particularly stunning as I walk along to the cafe, blown away by the mixture of cold, cutting wind, brilliant blue skies, naked trees and greenery. I arrive just after 1pm and the cafe is rammed. There’s the usual mix of plummy yummy mummies with newborns and space age pushchairs, students glued to their smart phones and smiley grandparents on outings with relatives. And there’s the obligatory crying baby, too. (I don’t mind, I married a former baby).

There’s a five minute queue, but I know the wait will be worth it. I’ve already tweeted that I really, really like their hot choc. It comes one size only, served in a mug (love that!), and costs £2.25. Or £2.02 if you’re a National Maritime Museum member and use your 10 per cent discount. It is worth it (every penny), frothy on top with a lovely silky, chocalatey flavour. London-based Union Hand-Roasted coffee seems to be taking over Greenwich, and their chocolate will soon follow. This special one is their “thinking chocolate”, using cocoa from a growers’ co-operative in Ghana.

The sun is streaming through the huge windows, and the cafe quickly empties after the lunchtime rush. The staff are special here too, always very jolly and keen. There’s also free wifi for two hours with no strings attached (unlike at Cafe Rouge). “Are you finished?” asks the young waitress, looking at my empty mug. Sadly, I have to confirm that I am.

Verdict

I reckon the hot chocolate at the NMM Cafe is the Daddy, followed closely by Red Door’s offering. Costa? It trails way, way behind…even if they do serve marshmallows (for an extra 35p, mind you).

You can follow Benb111 on Twitter for news and pictures from around Greenwich. Benb111 is supporting Old Brewery Head Chef Dan Doherty, who is running the London Marathon for Sense, the brilliant deafblind charity. Please back Dan: justgiving.com/Dan-Doherty

In search of Greenwich’s best… Chocolate Brownie

With all of the excellent bakeries in Greenwich, you’d think getting a brownie would be easy. Not so, surprisingly. You can’t move for cupcakes these days but I found just three indy bakeries selling squidgy brownies on Sunday.

For me a brownie needs to be dense and a little gooey in the middle. It needs to be heavier than a chocolate sponge. I’m a brownie purist so I don’t want bells and whistles in my brownies (for goodness sake, stop putting Oreos in them), just chocolate will suit me fine.

So which one was best?

Black Vanilla, College Approach

Oh, I truly wanted this one to be a winner. I’ve been excited about visiting Black Vanilla, which just opened last week in College Approach, but I knew when I was buying it that it wasn’t going to take the top spot. It looked dry and it was. It tasted of cocoa rather than chocolate and was actually pretty small – it was too thin to get a decent squidge. And the most expensive at £2.50.

But, to get to the cake counter you have to walk past the ice cream, and that looks phenomenal. I’m not discounting Black Vanilla altogether, I think they’re a fabulous addition to Greenwich and were very friendly when I popped in.

Rhodes, College Approach

They call their brownie the ‘best in the world’ and while the hyperbole irritates me, it was pretty good. It looked amazing. Thick, stodgy, unhealthy. Still soft in the middle despite being flaky on the top. Yep, this is one mighty fine brownie. Surprisingly not bitter despite it being so dark. It was the cheapest as well – just £1.80. Getting anything tasty under two quid is a bit of a challenge.

The downside? Not once have I seen the staff smile in Rhodes. I come here for the cake and I take it away rather than staying. A bit of a chat and a smile wouldn’t go amiss.

The Real Baking Company, Greenwich Market

A firm favourite in Greenwich Market, they were getting reading to close up when I visited. Still, I was greeted with a smile and a bit of a chat (they must have been FREEZING after standing outside all day).

The brownie was £2.40 so certainly not cheap, but worth the money. There was an unusual aftertaste to this one. Cherries, or some sort of sweet fruit. It’s certainly no bad thing. The addition of chocolate chips was welcome, too. You could eat one of these in one go, and be very happy that you did.

Verdict

It’s absolutely a tie between The Real Baking Company and Rhodes. If the staff in Rhodes could crack a smile, they’d just edge it for me. Which means obviously you should try both and make up your own mind.

Who do you think does the best chocolate brownie in Greenwich?

Platform: How will disabled spectators reach Greenwich Park from Maze Hill station?

Local resident and member of the Westcombe Society, Lawrence Smith, is concerned about provision for disabled Olympic spectators arriving via Maze Hill railway station. He has contributed this article to Greenwich.co.uk:

When the Planning Board considered the application to use Greenwich Park for the Equestrian events, the Planning Board report (p.94) records that the Westcombe Society urged that “Special attention should be given to the inadequate provision for disabled travellers at Blackheath and Maze Hill stations, including the installation of a disabled access on the down platform at Maze Hill”. 

The Council responded (p.143) that it  “is committed to ensuring convenient and safe access for disabled spectators and it is considered that this matter can be resolved as part of a planning condition.”

It added:

“Network Rail and South Eastern Trains, who operate Blackheath and Maze Hill stations, have plans to improve these stations. As an interested party/stakeholder London 2012 will be working with these bodies to explore opportunities to deliver the needed improvements. It is important to note that the Council are confident that effective transport operations for the Events at Greenwich can be delivered by the existing and additional rail infrastructure (being provided by the ODA)”

 Unfortunately the Council’s confidence seems to have been misplaced.  No planning condition seems to have required the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to deliver the promised additional rail infrastructure to provide disabled access at Maze Hill Station for departing disabled spectators. The plans for ‘the last mile’ to be considered by the Council in January require passengers to reach the departure platform by means of a footbridge that is inaccessible to wheelchair users. There is no proposal for a ramp to the platform from an existing gap on the bridge.

Maze Hill (with Blackheath and Greenwich) is one of three Rail stations designated as a destination for spectators for the Olympic Equestrian Events in Greenwich Park.  Unlike the non-Olympic stations on the line, it will have a full, six trains an hour service for arriving spectators from North Kent and London City Airport.  But although it is the closest station to Greenwich Park, Maze Hill will have no disabled access to the down platform.

The Westcombe Society had also sought assurances on the availability of a ‘walking’ route for the disabled from Maze Hill station to the venue.  In its response (p.136) , the Council stated  “Given the plans for spectator marshalling and signage discussed within the TA and that there are still some two and a half years before the start of the Games, it is considered that clearly defined spectator walking routes (including for those who are less able) will be established well in advance.”

However, no such safe and convenient route for the disabled has been established, less than nine months before the start of the games.  The plans propose that the footbridge is reached using a very narrow pavement across the rail bridge and require possibly unsighted and slow moving disabled persons to cross Maze Hill close a blind bend, with no marked pedestrian crossing.

No attempt is made to use the existing gap in the bridge wall (at a point where the pavement is much wider and road crossing much safer) to provide a step-free pedestrian ramp to the departure platform for the disabled.  Unlike the footbridges over the A2 and Romney Road, there would be no expense involved in removing such a ramp after the games.

Platform: What future for East Greenwich Library?

Over the last election campaign, which seems far more than 18 months ago, there was a lot of concern from residents in Peninsula ward and myself about the fate of the East Greenwich Library. During the election campaign, residents were led to believe that the Council had promised to secure the future of the Library in the long-term and in 2010 renovated the library.

Therefore I was a little surprised last Thursday evening to be informed at the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, that work had started on the new Greenwich Centre (to be based on the old Greenwich Hospital site) and that “It (the centre) will replace the current East Greenwich library.”

In March 2010 greenwich.co.uk reported that “He (Cllr Fahy) added that he would continue to work with the Friends of East Greenwich Library and Ward Councillors ‘to maximise a long term future for the building’”. It would appear from the report on Thursday that this ‘long term future’ will not be as a Library.

The report explained that the closure of the Arches Leisure Centre and East Greenwich Library will result from the creation of the new Greenwich Centre and implied that the buildings will be sold off to pay for this project. The report explained that the cost of modernising the Arches would be £17.6m but failed to explain why the Council had invested in repairing and improving the East Greenwich Library only to sell it off once a new centre is built.

I did ask about whether there had been any consultation about the closure of the Library but was told this would take place in the future. This seems strange as the decision to spend £30m building a new set of Council Offices and homes which the centre will be part of, has clearly already been taken. Surely any consultation will be irrelevant as the Council has already decided on the final outcome.

The closure is a real blow to those people who thought they had secured the future of this historic library which was built by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s foundation and celebrated its 105th birthday last year.

The Committee was informed that plans for the new centre include:-

• 645 homes in 5 blocks (of which 314 homes will be affordable & 53 will be family homes).
• A new library
• Two new swimming pools and leisure facilities
• A new service centre
• A new Health Centre

Although the report suggested that work on the new centre would start in 2012, officers informed Councillors that holes were already being dug and the centre should take around 27 months to complete.

Cllr Spencer Drury is the leader of Greenwich Conservatives.

« Previous Page — Next Page »